Pneumatic-tube terminal.



Patented Aug; 20, |90!) W. H. SHEPPABD. PNEUMATIO TUBE TERMINAL.

(applicativa med mi. s. 1599.) A Y,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(N0 Model.)

W/TNESSES me uoRRls vzrcns co.. mmou'rno., WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES.

11i `Aff-.ENT Ormea.

WILLIAM II. SI-IEPPARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGN OR TOTHE LAMSON `CONSOLIDATED STORE SERVICE COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

PN EUNlATlC-TUBE TERMINAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,078, dated August 20, 1901.

Application filed March 3, 1899.

r To all whom, it may concern.- p Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. SHEPPARD,

` of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Pneumatic-Tube Terminal, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

` The purpose of this invention is to provide L apneumatic-tube terminal that maybe adapted either as an up terminal or a down termij nal and also to provide means by which to check the movement of the carrier when dis- 'charged at the down terminal, thus preventl ing the carrier from passing out of the tube l with such force as to injure the carrier or p render inconvenient the control thereof.

j j This specification is the disclosure of one form of my invention, while the claims define the` actual scope thereof. p

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improved terminal arranged at the lower end of the pneumatic tube. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of my improved terminal arranged at the top of the tube, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the pneumatic tube 5, through which the carrier (not shown) j passes, communicates with myimproved terminal, which is formed with an arc-shaped tube 6, receiving the carrier from the tube 5 and delivering the carrier to the tapering or funnel-shaped discharge-tube 7,. which in turn communicates with the air-cushion tube 8, from which the carrier is finally projected. The discharge-tube 7 is bolted to the terminal and in direct communication with the tube 6. Held between the parts '6 and 7 is an upwardly-seating iiap-valve 9, which is engaged by the carrier as the carrier passes from the terminal, whereby to throw downward the [valve 9 and permit the carrier to pass into the discharge-tube 7. j p My terminal is also provided with a box 10, `arranged alongside the tube 6 and curved in conformity thereto, and to the box is attached a tube 12. The interior of the box 10 comseIiaI no. 707,628. (No man.)

` municates with the tube `6 by means of a port 11, so that a current of air for propelling the carrier is drawn through the tubes 5 and 6 into the tube 12 by way of the port 11, it being understood that the tube 12 leads to the exhaust-fan or other apparatus for creating the necessary suction 'in the parts 5, 6, and 10. The port 11 is not sufficiently large to interfere with the passage of the carrier past the port, but permits the free passage of air from the tube 6 through the `port 1l and into the tube 12. As the carrier passes through the tube 6 and past the valve 9 the valve 9 is instantly returned to closed position by the suction in the tube 6. The tube 8 is constructed so that the skirt of the carrier has barely suiiicient clearance to pass through the tube. This causes a partial vacuum to be formed behind the carrier as it passes down the tube 8, thereby providing an air-cushion, which checks the rapid movement of the carrier and causes it to be discharged from the tube 8 without great force.

The improved terminal is preferablyformed of two longitudinal sections, as illustrated best in Fig. l, these sections being bolted together to form a hermetic connection. Each end of the box 10 is provided with an opening in which an exhaust-pipe may be fitted, if desired, as shown in Fig. 1. The terminal being arranged at the lower end of the pneu- `matic tube, the opening in the upper end of the box 10 is temporarily closed by a cap 14.

When the apparatus is arranged at the upper end of the pneumatic tube, the tube 5a, through which the carrier is passed, is arranged to communicate with the lower end of the tube 6 of the terminal. The end of the box lO adjacent to the port 11 is temporarily closed by a cap 14a, similar to the cap 14, and the other end of the box 10-is connected with an exhaust-pipe 12, similar to the pipe 12. The discharge end of the tube 6 of the terminal is commanded byavalve 9, and in place of the tapering discharge-tube 7 ,I provide a deiiector-shield 15,against lwhich the 'carrier is thrown and by which the carrier is deflected downward into a basket or other receptacle therefor. It will be understood that at the upper end of the pneumatic tube it is not necessary to provide the tubes IOO 7 and 8, since at the upper end the carrier does not pass out of the tube with suchra great velocity, and the shield 1,5 alone is necessary to stop the movement of the carrier.

It will thus be seen that my improved terminal is adapted to use both at the upper and lower ends of the pneumatic tube and that it may be changed from one position to the other by reversing the arrangement of the parts, as shown in the drawings. The purpose of the box lO is simply to provide a means of connecting the exhaust-pipes 12 or 12a with the tube 6 irrespective of the position in which the terminal may be arranged, and when it is desired to change the terminal from one position to another it is only necessary to interchange the parts 7 and 8 and the par-i915 and the pipe 12 and the cap 14. Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- receiving-tube'with the interior of said box, and an exhausttube connected with said box.

2. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube terminal, the pneumatic tube through which the carrier passes leading to the terminal, a receiving-tube connected With said carrier-tube, a funnel-shaped discharge-'tube connected at its larger end with said receiving-tube, avalve interposed between said receiving-tube and said discharge-tube and opening into the latter tube, a box located adjacent to said receiving-tube and communicating with the same, and an exhaust-tube connected with said box.

8. In a pneumaticdespatoh-tube terminal,

Va receiving-tube, a box located alongside of WILLIAM H. SHEPPARD.

Witnesses:

ISAAC B. OWENS, EVERARD BOLTON MARsHALL. 

